- The Pair of Championship-Winning Sports Car Racing Organizations To Race Under the RAFA Racing Tent Beginning in 2025
- The Long Standing Relationship With Toyota Gazoo Racing North America Will Remain a Key Part of the Team’s Plans, Ranging Across Multiple Race Series
HOUSTON, Texas (December 10, 2024) – Two outstanding sports car racing teams have merged beginning with the 2025 season, combining the championship-winning results of Kevin Conway’s program at Smooge Racing with the up-and-coming drivers and marketing machine of RAFA Racing for a full-fledged IMSA and SRO America effort.
The combined effort will race under the RAFA Racing Team banner in both paddocks. Standing for “Race As Family Always,” the RAFA Racing Team made its debut in 2023 with a runner-up finish in the McLaren Trophy Europe Series, and expanded that footprint to include a championship-winning effort in Porsche Sprint Challenge North America and in the SRO GT4 European Series during 2024.
Conway-led race teams have been crowned SRO GT4 America team and driver champions utilizing the Toyota GR Supra GT4 platform, and multi-time race winners in Lamborghini Super Trofeo. The new-look RAFA Racing Team will continue to support the existing Toyota Gazoo Racing and Lamborghini Squadra Corsa relationships established by Conway’s team in 2025.
With driver line-ups to be confirmed in the coming weeks, RAFA Racing will appear in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge and SRO GT4 America utilizing the Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2 along with an LMP3 car in the VP Racing SportsCar Challenge. Likewise, the team will have a multi-car presence in the IMSA-sanctioned Lamborghini Super Trofeo paddock for 2025. An outside partnership will also include RAFA Racing branding and drivers in the Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup.
“This was not necessarily an opportunity we were searching for, but merging our efforts with Kevin’s makes perfect sense for the RAFA Racing team, our program, and our future goals,” RAFA Racing founder Rafael Martinez said. “We’ve worked with some fantastic teams over the past couple of years, but this relationship and the existing partnerships with Toyota Gazoo Racing North America and Lamborghini Squadra Corsa are something special. It’s a logical step in our mission, and a great way to make our debut at this level here in the States.”
The RAFA Racing team is just a part of the RAFA Family of businesses. The RAFA umbrella encompasses a variety of automotive and motorsports-related businesses, including RAFA Media (The Race, Driver DataBase, WTF1, WTF Talent, Grid Finder, Traxion GG), 8TWELVE Wheels, 812 Brands, and RAFA Racing Club, amongst others. Each business, including the RAFA Racing Team, has a mission to bring motorsports to the masses.
That includes the racing program, where three-time Call of Duty World Champion and X Games medalist Ian “Crimsix” Porter captured the Porsche Sprint Challenge North America championship in his rookie season after a move from sim racing, and French driver Caroline Candas earned the Mobil 1 Female Driver Development and Porsche Junior titles in the same class for RAFA Racing. Each utilized a RAFA Racing Team partnership to advance their careers in ways that likely would not have happened otherwise.
“I’m looking forward to pairing our efforts with the larger group at RAFA Racing,” Conway said. “The off-track activities that RAFA Racing is already involved in will not only augment our existing relationships but give them a chance to grow. It’s going to be a busy upcoming season, but we’re ready to make a difference immediately both on and off the race track.”
The new-look RAFA Racing Team will make its IMSA debut during the Roar Before the 24 at Daytona with the VP Racing SportsCar Challenge, followed by the Michelin Pilot Challenge four-hour race the next week in advance of the Rolex 24 At Daytona.
About RAFA Racing Club:
RAFA Racing, utilizing the motto “Race As Family Always,” is a motorsports club and race team founded by and made for high-performance auto drivers, supporters, and fans of all types. Started by Rafael Martinez, the Club aims to create a space for high-performance car enthusiasts to enjoy like-minded individuals, network and share ideas on and off the track, and bond as one team with a common interest. The RAFA Racing Team made its debut in 2023 with a runner-up finish in the McLaren Trophy Europe Series, and expanded that footprint to include a championship-winning effort in Porsche Sprint Challenge North America and podium finishes in SRO GT4 Europe in 2024. The Club’s off-track presence can be felt on social media and beyond, including YouTube, Instagram and Facebook and at RafaRacing.Club.
